This Gourmet Mushroom Risotto recipe is an absolute game-changer. It is full of flavours and has the most amazing creamy texture to it. If you are looking for the best mushroom risotto recipe, look no further.
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This recipe is definitely the winner, and I literally mean it. This recipe has been my signature dish for years and has been the star of my job cook-offs (an interview for chefs where they cook) in the past. Needless to say, it got me the jobs.
Disclaimer: this is not the easiest recipe in this blog, but I promise it will be worth the extra time and effort you put in. It is great for indulging family and friends when accompanied by our delicious Summer Chickpea Salad and a glass of nice Sauvignon Blanc!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Rice - The most important ingredient for risotto is the rice and to get the perfect results each time, choose the right type of rice. Carnaroli, vialone nano, arborio or Baldo are the best options and they all absorb the liquid well, giving you that lovely creamy texture we are after.
Don't rinse the risotto rice before using it. Washing the rice removes the starch, which is what helps give risotto its velvety texture.
- Mushrooms - I use a mixture of wild and store-bought mushrooms but you can use whatever you have in hand. I also use dried mushrooms if I have them. They add an intense mushroom flavour and a little goes a long way.
- Mascarpone cheese - I add this creamy cheese to all my risotto dishes for a velvety and rich texture. You can substitute it with creme fraiche.
- White wine - It intensifies and enhances the flavour of the risotto. You can use vermouth for a sweeter flavour or omit it for a child-friendly version.
- Parmesan Cheese - Use a good quality block of parmesan and grate it just before using it. This is a must. Don't even think about using pre-grated cheese. You have to use the real thing for the best flavour and texture in risotto. You can substitute it with Pecorino Romano.
- Butter - A good quality butter gives a creamy texture and rich flavour when added just before the cooking process ends.
- Shallots - They have a finer and sweeter flavour than onions but you can use onions if you don't have them in hand.
How to Make Gourmet Mushroom Risotto?
Achieving the perfect flavours and consistency in a risotto can be tricky, especially when the internet is filled with so many incorrect recipes. But once you follow the basic tips and technics I've learned over the years as a chef, you will be able to create your own signature risotto dishes with your favourite ingredients.
- Prepare the mushroom purée - This simple step is necessary for intense mushroom flavour and extra creaminess. I use this method for most of my other risotto recipes. You can be creative and use any type of mushroom you like. The colour of the risotto will vary depending on what type of mushroom you use.
To make the purée, heat a pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Gently sauté shallots until soft and add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for few minutes and then add double cream. Cook for few more minutes until mushrooms are softened.
Take the pan off the heat and turn the mushrooms into a purée by using a food processor or a hand blender. Set aside and proceed to prepare the mushroom to sauté.
- Sauté the mushrooms - That's the second step for making mushroom risotto. You can use either dried mushrooms or fresh ones or even both if you like. Dried mushrooms add an intense flavour and umami taste to risotto as well as a darker colour.
If you are using dried mushrooms, boil them for a few minutes and let them soak in hot water for another 15-20 minutes or until softened. Drain and roughly chop them when they are softened. Keep the water you soaked the dried mushrooms in and add it to the chicken stock when cooking the risotto for extra flavour.
To sauté the mushrooms, melt the butter in the pan that you will be making the risotto on medium heat. Add the mushrooms (dried or fresh ones) and chopped garlic, gently sauté until lightly browned. Spare half of the mushrooms for garnishing the risotto, keeping them warm. Leave the rest of the mushrooms in the pan and start making the risotto.
- Make the risotto - Add the shallots and the olive oil to the pan where you have half of the sautéed mushrooms. Gently sauté them until soft and translucent. Don't let the shallots brown as it would ruin the flavour of the risotto.
Add the rice and cook for a few minutes until they are semi-translucent. Make sure the grains are heated thoroughly before adding the wine. Add the white wine when the rice is hot enough and cook until all the alcohol evaporates.
Turn the heat to low and start adding the simmering chicken stock a ladle each time.
Keep stirring the rice every 30-40 seconds until the stock is totally absorbed by the rice. Add more chicken stock when there is no more liquid in the pan and repeat the same process until the rice is nearly cooked but still crunchy.
Add the mushroom purée, mascarpone cheese, salt and pepper at this point and cook a few more minutes. Check the rice and add more liquid if necessary until it's cooked al dente. Add the butter and give it a good stir.
Turn the heat off and add the grated Parmesan cheese on top. Do not stir the Parmesan cheese in, and let the risotto rest for 5 minutes with a lid on before serving.
Heat the remaining mushrooms for garnish if necessary in a pan or a microwave. Serve the risotto and garnish with chopped chives and the sautéed mushrooms.
Related Recipes
For more delicious rice recipes why not try:
Even though it is mainly up to your personal preferences or whatever you have to hand, I prefer using more neutral wines such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. You can check this detailed guide on which white wine is best for the particular type of risotto if you are interested.
You can serve risotto either as a main dish or as a side dish depending on what you decide to include in them. We usually have this mushroom risotto as a side dish, but it can also make a great vegetarian main dish on its own as it definitely doesn't lack any flavors. It is the perfect companion for simple lamb or fish dishes.
Although it might change the texture and the taste of the risotto slightly, you can reheat it in a microwave. Set your microwave to two minutes on medium heat and warm your risotto stirring from time to time.
Top Tips From the Chef
- Make sure the broth/stock is warm - Adding cold liquid to the risotto when it's cooking will slow down the cooking process, and may end up shocking the rice so it won't absorb as much liquid. Keep your stock/broth simmering on low heat. Add a ladle at a time. cooking and stirring over medium heat until the rice is al dente. This helps the rice to fully absorb the liquid and flavours. Do not add the stock all at once.
- Keep your attention fully on your risotto - Don’t let your risotto simmer unattended. Stirring is a crucial part of cooking risotto. It helps the rice to release its starch and gives the risotto a creamy texture. Check and stir often, ideally every 30 seconds to achieve the velvety texture we are after. Stirring also helps to prevent it from drying out or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Adding the butter - Always add the butter just before the cooking process end. Make sure the butter is cold, and fresh out of the fridge. Add the butter and stir until combined, then turn the heat off.
- Adding the Parmesan cheese - Add the Parmesan cheese when the cooking process is finished. Turn the heat off, sprinkle the cheese, do not get tempted to stir it, cover with a lid, and leave for 5 minutes before serving.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Gourmet Mushroom Risotto recipe as much as you would enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Gourmet Mushroom Risotto
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
Mushroom Purée
- ½ shallot (large) (Finely chopped)
- 200 g button mushroom (roughly chopped)
- 100 ml double cream
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
Mushroom sauté
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 250 g fresh wild mushroom (you can substitute this with 40 grams of dried wild mushrooms)
Mushroom Risotto
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ shallot (large) (finely chopped)
- 320 g risotto rice (carnaroli, vialone nano, arborio or baldo)
- 115 ml dry white wine or vermouth (½cup)
- 1 liter vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
- 50 g butter (cut in small cubes)
- 80 g parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1 tablespoon chives or parsley (finely chopped)
- salt+pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Mushroom purée
- Heat the pan with olive oil at medium heat.
- Add the shallots and gently fry them.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for few minutes.
- Add double cream and cook at low heat for another few minutes until mushrooms are softened.
- Make a purée by using a food processor or a hand blender.
- Set aside and proceed to prepare the mushroom to sauté.
Mushroom sauté
- If you are using dried mushrooms, boil them for few minutes and let them soak in hot water for another 15-20 minutes or until softened. Then drain the softened mushrooms and chop them. Set them aside to use them in your sauté. Also, keep the mushroom water you soaked the dried mushrooms in and use it in combination with the chicken stock when cooking the risotto for extra flavour.
- Melt the butter in the pan that you will be making the risotto on medium heat.
- Add the mushrooms (dried or fresh ones) and chopped garlic, gently sauté until lightly browned.
- Spare half of the mushrooms for garnishing the risotto, keeping them warm.
- Leave the rest of the mushrooms in the risotto pan.
Mushroom risotto
- Heat the chicken stock or vegetable stock in a pan and leave it on low heat simmer. Set aside. You will use this when cooking the risotto.
- Add the olive oil to the risotto pan (where half of the mushroom sauté is at) and add shallots, gently fry at low to medium heat until soft and translucent.
- Add the rice and cook few minutes until they are semi-translucent then add the white wine, cook until all the alcohol evaporates.
- Turn the heat to low and start adding the simmering chicken stock a ladle each time.
- Keep stirring the rice every 30-40 seconds until the stock is totally absorbed by the rice.
- Add more chicken stock when there is no more liquid in the pan and repeat the same process until the rice is nearly cooked but still crunchy.
- Add the mushroom purée, mascarpone cheese, salt and pepper at this point and cook few more minutes.
- Check the rice and add more liquid if necessary until it's cooked al dente. Add the butter and give it a good stir.
- Turn the heat off and add the grated Parmesan cheese on top. Do not stir the Parmesan cheese in, and let the risotto rest for 5 minutes with a lid on before serving.
- Heat the remaining mushrooms for garnish if necessary in a pan or a microwave.
- Serve the risotto and garnish with chopped chives and the mushrooms.
Nutrition
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Ayla
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